Yorkville Sound celebrates the company's 50th Anniversary in 2013

December 2012

Yorkville Sound, Canada's largest manufacturer of PA products, instrument amplifiers and music accessories marks its 50th year in business at NAMM 2013.

Launched in 1963 in the basement of the original Long & McQuade Music Store, Yorkville Sound began custom manufacturing innovative Pete Traynor designed loudspeaker columns, small mixers, bass and guitar amplifiers specifically to support Long & McQuade's fledgling rental business.

"Fifty years. It seems to have gone by so quickly," says Yorkville Sound founder Jack Long. "When we began we really didn't know what to expect but looking back I would have to say that it has been a lot of fun. I love the music business and the people in it and I would like to do this for at least another fifty years."

Ultra-rugged user-friendly product specifically created to suit customer demand was essential to Pete Traynor's vision. His Traynor branded product quickly built a reputation for unmatched reliability in the field.

Since its humble beginning, Yorkville Sound has grown steadily over these five decades - moving first from the original basement workshop to its initial factory location on Dundas Street in downtown Toronto. From there it moved to a larger space in Scarborough Ontario in the early '80s before moving to its current 150,000 square foot facility in Pickering Ontario in the '90s.

Along with its core manufacturing business that still employs over 200 people at the Pickering factory, Yorkville Sound has built a strong resale division with brands like Apex Electronics Microphones and Applied Research & Technology (ART) branded
signal processing.